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Archives of Nicaragua Network publications!
This site contains archival material for the Nicaragua Network from 1999 through 2016. For more current material including our weekly NicaNotes blog, click here.
To access the archives of the Nicaragua News Bulletin from Dec. 11, 2012 through June 21, 2016, click here. Use the search function to search for particular topics.
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TUESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2012
Nicaragua News Bulletin (December 11, 2012)
1. Nicaraguans concerned about health of Chavez2. Nicaragua, Honduras, and El Salvador meet on Gulf of Fonseca
3. Colombia still refuses to recognize World Court ruling
4. Purisima without fireworks accidents!
5. Energy Ministers commit to biofuels
6. Nicaraguan police show region's police their training methods
7. Nicaragua advances the rights of domestic workers
8. Estelí wants to become a litter-free city
1. Nicaraguans concerned about health of Chavez
Speaking at the XVII Graduation of Army Cadets on Monday, Dec. 10, President Daniel Ortega said that Nicaraguans are praying for Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to recover and to continue to lead the Bolivarian revolution and the “extraordinary project that is ALBA [the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of the Americas]”. Chavez traveled to Cuba on Monday for further cancer treatments. Ortega referred to him as “a man who was forged in the armed forces of Venezuela and who came from the people and from the armed forces to head a liberating struggle for our America and for humanity.” He stated that Chavez had sown the seeds and the harvest was ready in Venezuela and in all of America, including Nicaragua.
Cardinal Miguel Obando y Bravo said his Sunday mass at the Catholic University of Nicaragua (UNICA) for the special intention of Chavez' recovery. In his Sunday sermon, Managua Archbishop Leopoldo Brenes said, “I saw a very human Chavez who recognized the gravity of his illness.” He added, “This is a sign of a man who has matured in the faith … and who has discovered that we are in the hands of the Lord.” The 19th of July Sandinista Youth Organization held an ecumenical rally which included Catholic and Protestant ministers to pray for Chavez. Bosco Castillo, national coordinator of the Sandinista youth organization, said, “Comandante Chavez is one of our greatest leaders who has always raised his voice in support of the poor and now, from the great family of Nicaragua, we send him strength and faith.”
Given the benefits that Nicaragua has enjoyed as a member of ALBA under the leadership of Chavez (beginning with the end of the energy crisis in 2008 and the ongoing revival of the agricultural sector), it was predictable that his illness would be the cause of much anxiety in the country. Business leaders again brought up the subject of a formal trade agreement with Venezuela. Noting that Venezuela has become the second largest market for Nicaragua's products, Jose Adan Aguerri, head of the Superior Council of Private Enterprise (COSEP) said, “Today more than ever it is necessary to return to what the private sector has been saying since 2009: secure a free trade accord with Venezuela.”
Former Foreign Minister Francisco Aguirre Sacasa said that a deterioration in the health of President Chavez will not affect the flow of oil as some people believe “because Nicaragua pays international market prices.” He said that big projects such as the Supreme Dream of Bolivar Oil Refinery could be affected, however. Informe Pastran quoted analyst Alberto Ramos in The New York Times as saying that there could very well be a Chavism without Chavez. Ramos said that Vice-President Nicolas Maduro is very popular in Chavez' circle and because he was foreign minister for six years he has good contacts with influential countries, while being a firm believer in Chavez' policies. (Informe Pastran, Dec. 10; El Nuevo Diario, Dec. 10; Radio La Primerisima, Dec. 10)
2. Nicaragua, Honduras, and El Salvador meet on Gulf of Fonseca
The presidents of Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Honduras met in Managua on Dec. 4 “to establish a zone of peace” in the Gulf of Fonseca which the three countries share. Daniel Ortega, Mauricio Funes, and Porfirio Lobo signed a joint resolution establishing a tri-national commission to prevent conflict and promote sustainable development of the Pacific Coast bay. There have been sporadic incidents in the Gulf between and among fishing and naval vessels of the three countries, with at least four encounters during the past year including one a week ago, according to Honduran media outlets. The Gulf and surrounding area are home to 16 protected areas and the waters are rich in fishery resources. It is also one of the best natural bays in the world.
The presidents denied that there had been any confrontations between their armed forces with Funes saying, “We three presidents have been concerned that there are sectors interested in distorting some of the incidents.” He added, “We are looking for a solution to the conflicts in a peaceful and negotiated manner and we reject any use of military force.” Ortega said, “We are recognizing the 1992 ruling by the World Court which resolved a difference between Honduras and El Salvador. Our point of departure is recognition of the World Court.” He added that the joint declaration includes a review of the compliance with the 1992 ruling. Lobo emphasized the importance of the political will of the three countries to safeguard the Gulf as a zone of peace where economic projects can be developed to benefit the population. (El Nuevo Diario, Dec. 4; Radio La Primerisima, Dec. 4, 6; La Prensa, Dec. 5)
3. Colombia still refuses to recognize World Court ruling
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos assured the residents of the islands of San Andres and Providencia that he would not allow the Nov. 19 ruling of the International Court of Justice at The Hague to go into effect until all Colombians had their rights restored and guaranteed into the future. The decision of the World Court gave the islands to Colombia but gave all except the waters immediately surrounding the Caribbean islands to Nicaragua. Santos said that the decision was “a blow that hit us in the heart, which we still find painful, which we still find bewildering.” He promised that he would use all possible channels including “direct conversations with Nicaragua, or through the resources that the Court itself offers for interpretation of its rulings, or other diplomatic routes.” When asked by a journalist if Colombian navy ships would continue to patrol in what are now Nicaraguan waters, Defense Minister Juan Carlos Pinzon said that Colombian vessels would continue their presence the waters around the islands “of course in a prudent manner, protecting Colombian interests.”
Meanwhile, the Central American Parliament (PARLACEN), meeting in Guatemala, urged both Colombia and Nicaragua to respect the World Court's ruling. The six member regional legislature unanimously agreed to recognize “the legitimate claim of Nicaragua to recuperate its maritime territory and to delimit its [maritime] borders without in any way prejudicing its rights over the Continental Shelf.” PARLACEN urged the two countries to maintain peaceful relations without any type of provocation or intervention.
On Dec. 6, President Daniel Ortega said that Nicaragua would not give concessions for oil exploration in the part of the recently recovered waters where the UNESCO Seaflower Marine Biosphere Reserve is located. He explained, “If there is one arena where Nicaragua has stood out it is in the struggle to protect the environment, the rivers, the lakes and the seas.” Ortega's statement, made at the graduation of officers from an Army security and defense course, came hours after Energy Minister Emilio Rappaccioli had announced that the Spanish company Repsol was interested in exploring for oil in the area. The UNESCO web page describes the Seaflower reserve: “As a marine biosphere reserve, it covers approximately 10% of the Caribbean sea, with three main islands, surrounded by coastal mangroves swamps and highly intact and productive associated coral reef ecosystems.” In the same speech, Ortega also said that Colombia, when it agreed to submit the case to the Court, agreed to accept the final ruling. “We would have liked the ruling to have recognized the rights of Nicaragua to those territories that are only 160 to 180 kilometers from our coast and almost 800 kilometers from the coast of Colombia, that is the Archipelago of San Andres and Providencia,” he said, but the Court decided otherwise and Nicaragua has accepted that ruling.
General Julio Cesar Aviles, head of the Nicaraguan Army, also speaking at the defense course graduation, said that Nicaraguan naval vessels are patrolling the area recovered under the World Court ruling. He said that the “brave sailors and pilots,” as part of the General Augusto C. Sandino Peace and Sovereignty Mission, are protecting Nicaraguan “sovereignty with patriotism and national pride in those geographical spaces [with] the same conviction as our national heroes.” He also stated, “We want to point out and recognize the patriotism of our small scale and industrial fishermen who have gone into these new waters exercising their sovereign rights to fish there.” He said that Nicaragua had communicated to Colombia's navy that “there should be no harassment of any kind” against Nicaraguan fishermen. He added that Colombian forces had not boarded any Nicaraguan fishing boats but that “they have been around there.”
Meanwhile a committee of the Colombian Congress, which is controlled by the opposition to President Santos, called former Colombian presidents Belisario Betancur, Cesar Gaviria, Ernesto Samper, Andres Pastrana and Alvaro Uribe to testify on Dec. 12 at a hearing to investigate what decisions were made that led to the loss at The Hague. (La Prensa, Dec. 5, 7, 9; Informe Pastran, Dec. 5, 6, 10; http://www.unesco.org/mabdb/br/brdir/directory/biores.asp?mode=all&code=COL+05 ; Radio La Primerisima, Dec. 5, 8, 10; El Nuevo Diario, Dec. 6)
4. Purisima without fireworks accidents!
Nicaraguans commemorated the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary on Dec. 7-8 with the usual mix of devotion and loud celebration but this year without any reported burns from fireworks run amok. The Red Cross reported that, while there were more emergency ambulance calls than last year (up from 76 calls to 91), none were of a serious nature. The Fire Department inspected 98 fireworks stands throughout the country and reported no fires or explosions. On the night of Dec. 7 (the Griteria) when Nicaraguans go out to sing for sweets at altars in front of neighbors' houses, there were instances of lost children, heart attacks and traffic accidents with a total of seven deaths. For the feast, which celebrates the Catholic belief that Mary was conceived without the sin of Adam in the womb of her mother St. Anne, government agencies and private businesses in Leon also put up two dozen altars on downtown streets and many hundreds of traditional treats were distributed. The custom of the Griteria has been submitted by the bishop and people of Leon for possible listing on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list. (La Prensa, Dec. 9; Radio La Primerisima, Dec. 7, 8; El Nuevo Diario, Dec. 8,)
5. Energy Ministers commit to biofuels
Central American Energy Ministers met in Managua last week for the first Ordinary Meeting of the Council of Energy Ministers of the Central America Integration System (SICA). They committed to seek funding for a variety of biofuel projects aimed at reducing energy consumption from burning wood and oil. They cited a study showing that 38% of Central American energy use is from wood, primarily for cooking. The energy ministers agreed to seek funding to distribute one million energy efficient wood burning cooking stoves for the region between 2013 and 2020. They also agreed to a pilot project to convert their Ministry vehicles to a biofuel-gasoline mix to study the results. They plan as well to begin discussion of converting the region's public bus fleets to natural gas. The goal was set to reduce by 10% the use of gasoline by 2015.
Kamilo Lara, president of the Nicaraguan National Recycling Forum and the Environment SOS Movement, urged the ministers to insure food sovereignty and security as they move forward with biofuel production. He cited Africa and Brazil as lessons that conversion of agricultural land to biofuel crops can increase hunger. He also noted the danger of introducing genetically engineered crops, saying that Nicaragua's laws were not strong enough to prevent the introduction of genetically modified plants. (Radio La Primerisima, Dec. 4; La Prensa, Dec. 5; El Nuevo Diario, Dec. 10)
6. Nicaraguan police show region's police their training methods
A three day meeting (titled the 4th Meeting on Scientific Policing) that included Central American, Colombian and Mexican police academy officials was held in Nicaragua last week. Nicaragua, with 12 homicides per 100,000 residents stands second to Costa Rica (10.3 per 100,000) in homicides, significantly below Honduras' 92 per 100,000 and El Salvador's 67 per 100,000. Javier Davila, director of Nicaragua's police academy, said one of the reasons is that Nicaraguan policing is aimed more at preventing crime than solving it. He said that the meeting was organized internationally so that other countries' police training officials could learn about Nicaragua's model and see if it was applicable in their own countries. Davila said that the Nicaraguan police also have a disability which is their inability, with 17.9 police per 10,000 residents, to respond rapidly to crimes.
Roberto Cuellar, executive director of the Inter-American Institute of Human Rights, praised Nicaragua's police. He said, “Nicaragua not only has a police force that can show huge achievements and extraordinary humanism in protecting people and communities, but it is also a seedbed of human rights.” (El Nuevo Diario, Dec. 6; Informe Pastran, Dec. 5)
7. Nicaragua advances the rights of domestic workers
Nicaragua was the first country in Central America, and fourth in the world to ratify International Labor Organization Convention 189 concerning domestic workers. However, all involved recognize that there is much work to do to bring domestic workers to the same level of labor rights as other workers. Nicaragua celebrates Dec. 10 as the Day of the Domestic Worker. According to El Nuevo Diario, only 2% of domestic workers are enrolled in the social security system. Of the total labor force, 10% are domestic workers, a total of about 280,000 people, 86% of whom are women.
Speaking at the National Forum of Domestic Workers, Bertha Rosa Guerra Gallardo, the ILO representative in Nicaragua, praised Nicaragua for ratifying Convention 186 and pointed out that there are great obligations for the government under the Convention; obligations that will require changes in the country's laws such as reducing the domestic workers' workday from 12 to eight hours and the establishment of child care centers for workers' children. Both the ILO representative and Andrea Morales, Women's Secretary of the Sandinista Workers Central (CST) emphasized the need to train domestic workers (and their employers) about their rights as workers. Labor Minister Jeanette Chavez, said that approval of the ILO Convention fulfilled one of the Sandinista government's commitments to restore rights to the people after 17 years of neoliberal governments. She acknowledged and supported the need to change the legal code to protect the rights of domestic workers and to train workers about the rights they have. (El Nuevo Diario, Dec. 10; La Prensa, Dec. 10)
8. Estelí wants to become a litter-free city
In order to convert Estelí to a trash and pollution free city by the end of 2013, the mayor, environmentalists, community leaders, the Nicaraguan Army and the National Police, began a daily cleanup campaign, prioritizing the stretch of the Pan-American Highway that runs through the city. On the first campaign day two dump trucks were filled with trash from along the highway. Volunteers blamed bus travelers who throw litter out the bus windows. Jorge Ulises González Hernández, former mayor of Estelí, said that, despite the extraordinary population growth in Estelí, garbage collection service is still considered good.
Current deputy mayor Rosa Argentina Rugama has planned public area cleanups and announced that every week, along with a public message about littering, a different entrance to the city will be cleaned. The municipality of Estelí makes an effort to keep the city clean, even though not all citizens pay for the collection service and many throw waste in illegal dumps. On average the city of Estelí produces 9,000 cubic meters of garbage per month but 2,500 cubic meters are not disposed of properly in the landfill. Trash collection costs US $.50-$.60 per residence monthly, while supermarkets and factories pay around US $70. (El Nuevo Diario, Dec. 10)
Posted At 01:12 AM
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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 05, 2012
World Court decision gives Colombia the San Andres Archipelago, Nicaragua the surrounding waters
President Daniel Ortega and Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos met for 15-20 minutes on Dec. 1 in Mexico City where they had both attended the inauguration of Mexican president, Enrique Peña Nieto. The two discussed the Nov. 19 ruling of the International Court of Justice which, while it gave the islands of the San Andres archipelago to Colombia, assigned to Nicaragua control between 60 and 100,000 square kilometers of waters on the country's continental shelf. On Nov. 28 Santos had announced that Colombia would not accept the ruling and was withdrawing from the 1948 Pact of Bogota which committed most Western Hemisphere countries to abide by World Court rulings. To read the updates by the Nicaragua Network, go here: http://www.nicanet.org/?cat=15
For the historical background of the case, we recommend a new article from the web page Tortilla con sal:
After 80 years Nicaragua recovers its legitimate maritime rights
toni solo, November 23rd 2012
November 19th is a new date for Nicaraguan and Colombian school children to remember in future history classes. On that day this year, the International Court of Justice confirmed Colombia's sovereign rights over the Caribbean island of San Andres and the nearby islets and keys. But the court also confirmed Nicaragua's maritime rights, usurped by force by Colombia ever since 1928.
To read more, click here: http://tortillaconsal.com/tortilla/es/node/12171
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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2012
Nicaragua News Bulletin (November 27, 2012)
1. Nicaragua celebrates World Court decision; Colombia refuses to accept ruling2. Supreme Electoral Council issues final election results
3. Tax reform in National Assembly
4. Lake Xolotlan rising and growing
5. Sustainable Energy Forum delegates visit La Chureca
6. Progress in efforts against child labor
7. Preventative programs counter violence in Granada
1. Nicaragua celebrates World Court decision; Colombia refuses to accept ruling
NEWS FLASH UPDATE: On Wednesday, Nov. 28, President Juan Manuel Santos announced that on the previous day Colombia withdrew from the 1948 Pact of Bogota in which members of the Organization of American States agreed to take disputes to the World Court and recognize its jurisdiction. A week after the Court ruled that, while Colombia retained the San Andres Archipelago, Nicaragua's territorial waters were greatly expanded, Santos said that his decision means “excluding from the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice issues referring to sovereignty” and follows the principal “that territorial and maritime boundaries should be fixed by means of bilateral treaties as was the tradition in Colombia and not by rulings from any court.” [The United States, Canada, Argentina, and Venezuela never ratified the Pact of Bogota and are not party to it.] OAS Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza said that he had received the official note from Colombia withdrawing from the Pact which, ironically, was signed in the capital of Colombia.
Nicaragua celebrated the November 19 ruling by the International Court of Justice (World Court) that expanded Nicaragua's territorial waters in the Caribbean with a gathering in the Plaza of the Republic that very night attended not only by President Daniel Ortega and all the high officials of his government but also by the country's former presidents and former foreign ministers. In attendance were former Presidents Enrique Bolaños and Arnoldo Aleman along with Antonio Lacayo, in representation of former President Violeta Chamorro. In his address Ortega said that, among all the contradictions and challenges faced by Nicaraguans, this was a day of patriotism and national unity for all Nicaraguans. He reviewed the history of the case noting that the struggle began when, in February 1980, the Sandinista revolutionary government invalidated the Barcenas-Meneses Esguera Treaty that Nicaragua had signed in 1928 under occupation by the United States and which abandoned waters and islands on Nicaragua's continental shelf to Colombia. He explained that President Chamorro continued the policy and, in 2001, President Aleman entered the claim that the World Court had resolved that day in Nicaragua's favor. Ortega also recognized the efforts of President Bolaños and his foreign ministers Norman Caldera and Eduardo Montealegre.
Under the ruling, the Caribbean islands under Colombian jurisdiction will remain with that country but Nicaragua has the right to extend its Caribbean territorial waters 200 miles out on the continental shelf from its shores. Colombia retains waters around the islands San Andres, Catalina, and Providencia (confirmed as belonging to Colombia in a 2007 ruling) along with a number of smaller cays. In his Nov. 19 address, Ortega expressed concern about Colombia's reluctance to accept the ruling and assured the inhabitants of the Colombian islands that they would be able to continue to fish in their traditional waters. Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said on the 19th that, because the court had made “grave errors,” his country did not accept the ruling and would seek “alternatives to the decision.” In this he was supported by his predecessor, former President Alvaro Uribe, who noted in a Twitter message that other countries, including the United States, had refused to accept World Court decisions. [In 1986, the Court found the US guilty of aggression against Nicaragua in the contra war.]
Meanwhile, Panama, Honduras, and Costa Rica said that that the World Court ruling did not affect their maritime borders in the Caribbean, contrary to statements by Colombian Foreign Minister Maria Angel Holguin that the ruling contradicted treaties between Colombia and the three Central American nations. In the cases of Honduras and Costa Rica who asked to submit briefs as parties to the case, the Court assured them that its ruling would not affect third parties and it did not accept their participation. Romulo Roux, Panamanian Foreign Minister said, “No ruling of the Court can affect a sovereign state that is not a party to the process.”
United States reaction to the Court's decision was mixed. US Ambassador to Nicaragua Phyllis Powers said, “Really, this is an issue between Nicaragua and Colombia and my government is confident that they will resolve it between them.” Kevin Whitaker, Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, said that Washington was “concerned” about the ruling and will analyze it because it does affect US interests. The last time he was in Nicaragua was in Feb. 2010 when he demanded that Nicaragua respect the Democratic Charter of the OAS and improve “governability” in the country. He was political officer in Nicaragua from 1995 to 1998. Ricardo Zuñiga, White House national security advisor for the Western Hemisphere, appeared to agree more with Ambassador Powers. He said, “The ruling and the dispute are bilateral issues between Colombia and Nicaragua on which we do not take a position,” adding, “We cooperate against drug trafficking with many countries and our intention is to continue functioning.”
Nicaraguan coast guard vessels were in place in the newly gained maritime territory, according to the head of Nicaragua's armed forces, General Julio Cesar Aviles. Aviles said, “We are in the limits that the World Court has assigned us. We have sailed to the east of the [disputed] 82nd meridian,” adding that Nicaraguan vessels had not noted the presence of any Colombian ships. President Ortega said on Nov. 26 that new maps were being drawn up to show the recently recovered maritime territories and that Nicaraguan authorities were meeting with officials of the United States to discuss modifications to agreements on cooperation in the zone against drug trafficking. (Radio La Primerisima, Nov. 19, 26; Informe Pastran, Nov. 20, 21, 27; La Prensa, Nov. 21, 24, 28; El Nuevo Diario, Nov. 27)
2. Supreme Electoral Council issues final election results
The Supreme Electoral Council (CSE) issued the final results of the November 4 municipal elections, confirming that the governing Sandinista Party won in 134 of the country's 153 municipalities, the Independent Liberal Party (PLI) in 13, the Constitutional Liberal Party (PLC) in two, Yatama in three, and the Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance in one. The nation will have 62 women mayors, a record that is the result of changes to the electoral law mandating that half of each party's candidates for mayor and council seats be women.
The CSE rejected the challenges submitted by the PLI and the PLC. The PLI had challenged the results in Ciudad Dario, Matiguas and El Almendro and the PLC in Nueva Guinea. Roberto Rivas, president of the CSE, said that the Nicaraguan electoral system worked in a pyramid and that challenges had to begin at the precinct level in order to then be referred up to the national level. PLI leader Luis Callejas said that the vote tallies were correct when they left the precincts but at some point along the way some disappeared and were not counted. He accused the CSE of “killing the hopes of the people in a transparent electoral process.” Mauricio Zuñiga of the Institute for Development and Democracy (IPADE) said that the electoral law states that challenges can be made to the CSE when it is demonstrated that results were changed after leaving the precinct, either at the departmental or national level.
IPADE [which has received US funding for official national election observation] observed these elections in an unofficial capacity and reported that “the political parties did not indicate signs of irregularities in 148 of the 153 municipalities” and limited their challenges to a few localities. IPADE noted that the proofs presented in the case of Nueva Guinea were serious enough for the CSE to review the count and its decision to reject the challenge “affects the legitimacy of the electoral authorities.” (Radio La Primerisima, Nov. 21; Informe Pastran, Nov. 21, 22, 27; El Nuevo Diario, Nov. 27)
3. Tax reform in National Assembly
A bill to reform Nicaragua's tax system was reported out of committee on Nov. 26 and is expected to be debated by the whole Assembly this week. Tax reform has been one of the measures demanded of Nicaragua by the International Monetary Fund. Sandinista Deputy Walmaro Gutierrez said that taxes on the 56 products of the basket of basic consumer goods that have been taxed in the past will not be increased, although a few luxury foods will see an increase. He added that the provisions in the bill had been discussed throughout the past few months with a wide spectrum of sectors including small, medium and large business people and farmers.
Reaction to the bill was mixed with La Prensa saying that big businesses would continue to receive tax exemptions while taxes on professional services would be increased. The daily criticized the system of deductions for health care and education expenditures saying that the refund to the tax payer would come in the form of a note of credit and, because the tax office was so inefficient, it would probably never be delivered. For La Prensa, the only positive aspect of the new law would be that the Minister of the Treasury would be obligated to inform the National Assembly and the Comptroller General's Office as to which companies receive tax exemptions and for how much and that information will then be public knowledge.
On the other hand, economist Nestor Avendaño said that the reforms “will promote economic growth in the medium and long term, reducing the tax rate from 30% to 25% between 2016 and 2020 to attract more national and foreign investment.” He noted that five common “luxury” food products will be taxed while the minimum salary at which workers have to begin to pay income tax will rise adding that, “We must respect the principle that he who has more pays more; he who has less pays less.” (Radio La Primerisima, Nov. 26; La Prensa, Nov. 26; Informe Pastran, Nov. 27; El Nuevo Diario, Nov. 27)
4. Lake Xolotlan rising and growing
Lake Xolotlan (Lake Managua) has grown in area by over 40 sq. km. in the past two years according to the Regional System of Visualization and Monitoring of Mesoamerica (SERVIR). That finding comes as no surprise to the people living on the lake shore or the Sandinista government which has moved almost 1,000 families from flood-prone land over the past year. The growth amounts to a 3.8% increase in the lake's size. The water level has increased from 38.7 meters above sea level to 42.6 meters, nearly the level reached in the devastating 1998 Hurricane Mitch. The increase was attributed to 14 years of higher than normal rains in the San Juan River watershed. Nicaragua is among the countries of the world most vulnerable to the affects of climate change. (Radio La Primerisima, Nov. 25; La Prensa, Nov. 25)
5. Sustainable Energy Forum delegates visit La Chureca
The Central American Regional Forum on Sustainable Energy met last week in Managua with ministers of the environment from six countries in attendance. Participants visited the largest solar energy plant in Central America located in Diriamba in the Department of Carazo as well as the Santiago Regional Hospital in Carazo where hot water is produced by solar energy. Environmental Ministers and Vice-Ministers also visited the La Chureca landfill in Managua to learn about the Acahualinca Neighborhood Integral Development Project. Four of a planned 38 natural gas wells have been installed on the dump and will eventually provide energy. The development project has already closed and sealed 90% of the dump and will soon close the remainder, replacing it with a modern recycling and garbage disposal plant that will employ 450 workers from the 238 families which previously made their living scavenging on the largest dump in Latin America, in operation since 1943. One hundred thirty-six people are already employed.
The Sandinista government has moved the families to new social housing in the area, provided job training, and enabled the children to attend school. The project is expected to open in coming months, perhaps by Christmas, with an additional US$15 million in aid from the Spanish government which has already invested US$45 million to close the dump and build the recycling center. The new facility will be able to process 140 tons of trash each hour, most of what Managua produces daily. Jason Toruño, director of community cleaning, promised that the approximately 140 illegal dumps around the city will be cleaned up when the La Chureca facility opens. Former Managua Mayor Dionisio Marenco said that Managua will need two or three smaller landfills to accommodate the amount of trash that will be produced by a growing Managua. (Radio La Primerisima, Nov. 22; La Prensa, Nov. 23, 24, 26)
6. Progress in efforts against child labor
The elimination of child labor has been a goal of the government of President Daniel Ortega since taking office in 2007. Progress on coming into compliance with the ILO convention on child labor is being made. The National Commission on Juvenile Employment (CNEJ) is coordinating the formation of a National Plan of Juvenile Labor and Employment 2012-2016. A total of 5,000 youth aged 15-24 benefited from the installation of Municipal Juvenile Employment Centers in 11 municipalities in the Departments of Chinandega, Masaya, Rivas, Jinotega and Matagalpa. From 2007-2011 labor inspectors throughout the country signed 4,089 agreements with employers in which they agreed to comply with labor rights laws for juvenile workers and not to employ children. The program to make the coffee harvest free of child labor has recruited farmers, mayors, the education ministry, Ministry of Health, and rural unions, placing 1,000 children in Jinotega, El Tuma-La Dalia, and Carazo in educational, health and recreational activities. Programs in Chinandega, El Rama and El Bluff have also created alternatives and removed children from dangerous jobs crushing stones or working in mines. Helping parents get better jobs is also part of the programs.
For young legal age workers the multi-agency initiative has provided job safety training and protective equipment. From 2007 to 2011, the government conducted 2,665 special workplace inspections and rescued 2,770 underage workers. It restored the labor rights to 601 adolescent domestic workers and educated 6,261 young workers about their labor rights. In 2011 the government issued 3,000 work permits for adolescents of working age.
Hermogenes Polanco of the government program MiFamilia in Chontales said that the number of children who work in the countryside and in the cities is still high and that it is difficult to eradicate this problem. He said that his agency works with parents to reduce their children's work hours to two to four hours a day so that they can go to school. Classes are held for parents to improve their own economic situation so that their children will not have to work. (Radio La Primerisima, Nov. 23, 24; El Nuevo Diario, Nov. 27)
7. Preventative programs counter violence in Granada
The Ministry of Education and the National Police are jointly implementing preventative programs in Granada neighborhoods exposed to street violence and drugs, including La Sabaneta, Adelita, Villa Sandino, Pancasán and Calle La Calzada. Gang Resistance Education and Training (GREAT) and Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) are US drug prevention programs first used in Nicaragua in 2001. Director of Youth Affairs of the National Police, Commissioner Pedro Rodriguez Argueta extolled these programs stating, "These programs help children and teenagers say 'No' to any harmful situation and motivates them to pursue other productive paths." The GREAT and DARE programs serve 20,000 youths annually. In Granada alone, the programs have benefited 500 primary and secondary students this year. (El Nuevo Diario, Nov 27)
Posted At 11:11 AM
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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2012
Nicaragua News Bulletin (November 20, 2012)
1. World Court gives Colombia the islands, Nicaragua the waters2. Challenges continue to Nov. 4th elections
3. Two die in plane crash over Lake Nicaragua
4. EU grants Nicaragua €8 million for volcano and colonial tourism
5. Unemployment declines steadily, especially among women
6. Health centers to be improved
7. National Assembly opens exhibit on Cuban Five
1. World Court gives Colombia the islands, Nicaragua the waters
In what was called by one commentator a decision worthy of King Solomon, the World Court on Monday Nov. 19 ruled that while the Caribbean islands that had been under Colombian jurisdiction for years should remain with that country, Nicaragua has the right to extend its Caribbean territorial waters 200 miles out on the continental shelf from its shores. Colombia retains waters around the islands remaining under its authority which are San Andres, Catalina, and Providencia (confirmed as belonging to Colombia in a 2007 ruling) along with the smaller cays of Serrano, Roncador, Quitasueño, Albuquerque, Este Sudeste, Serranilla, Bajonuevo and Baja Sueño (some which emerge from the sea only at low tide). Colombia had claimed that its territorial waters extended from its coasts to the 82nd meridian west longitude, leaving Nicaragua with only a 66 nautical mile exclusive economic zone. The Court, however, placed the border between the two countries' territorial waters in some places as far east as the 80th meridian, in a clear loss for Colombia. This has resulted in the rejection by Colombian President Jose Manuel Santos of that portion of the ruling, according to a communiqué released late Monday. President Daniel Ortega was scheduled to speak on the ruling Monday night.
The case began in 2001 when Nicaragua entered a claim for the islands of the San Andres Archipelago and for a new delimitation of the maritime borders between it and Colombia. In 1928, Colombia and Nicaragua (the latter occupied by forces of the United States) had signed the Barcenas-Meneses Esguerra Treaty which gave Colombia the waters and islands east of the 82nd meridian, but in 1980 that treaty was declared null and void by the Sandinista revolutionary government. In 2007, the World Court issued a partial ruling in the case saying that the islands of San Andres, Providencia and Santa Catalina belonged to Colombia but postponing a ruling on territorial waters and ownership of the cays. Colombia asked the Court to divide the waters between the two countries west from the coasts of the islands while Nicaragua asked that the division be west from the coast of Colombia. And, in this, Nicaragua prevailed. The disputed waters are a rich fisheries resource and have potential for petroleum production.
The room where the ruling was read by Court President Peter Tomka held only 80 persons including the judges, advisors, negotiators, and journalists. Oddly, in the case of a dispute between two Spanish-speaking countries, the ruling was read in English and French, the official languages of the Court. [Read the ruling at: http://www.icj-cij.org/docket/index.php?p1=3&p2=3&case=124&code=nicol&p3=4 Scroll to bottom.]
While Colombian legal scholars questioned their country's chances for a favorable ruling, the government of Colombia had expressed optimism with the Foreign Ministry saying, “We are very confident that the Court will reject the pretension of Nicaragua of enclosing the archipelago in an enclave and will fix the [border] line to the east of it.” However, the Court did just that, giving Nicaragua sovereignty over the waters around the archipelago. Nicaraguan analysts were universally optimistic, some even saw the possibility that the Court would give their country the smaller cays, but that did not happen; the cays remain with Colombia. (Radio La Primerisima, Nov. 16, 18, 19; La Prensa, Nov. 17, 18, 19; El Nuevo Diario, Nov. 18, 19; Informe Pastran, Nov. 19)
2. Challenges continue to Nov. 4th elections
The Supreme Electoral Council (CSE) on Nov. 13 issued electoral results in six municipalities disputed by two opposition Liberal parties, giving all the towns to the Sandinista Party. The Independent Liberal Party (PLI) is challenging the results in Matiguas, Ciudad Dario and El Almendro while the Constitutional Liberal Party (PLC) is filing challenges for Nueva Guinea, La Cruz de Rio Grande and La Trinidad. The CSE has until Nov. 20 to resolve the challenges. The Sandinista Party won 134 of the total of 153 municipalities in the local elections which were held on Nov. 4.
PLC members continued to hold marches and demonstrations in Nueva Guinea while the PLI continued its demands in Matiguas. On Nov. 19, there was a clash between police and protesters in Nueva Guinea resulting in 50 people detained and five police officers wounded. There may have been wounded among the protesters as well but that could not be confirmed by La Prensa which reported the encounter. Sixteen women and four men were later released by the authorities. The protesters supported PLI mayor and candidate for reelection Denis Obando who continues to insist that he and not the Sandinista candidate Claribel Castillo was the winner.
In Matiguas, Oscar Sobalvarro, known as “Comandante Ruben” in the counterrevolution in the 1980s, said, “In Matiguas the contra was born and here a new contra could be born, that is the reality.” PLI candidate Ricardo Castillo, who insists that he won, was also in the contra and was known as “Comandante Mozote.” However, Informe Pastran noted that the FSLN ran a popular local engineer who in the past had been in the opposition and added that, in fact, the Liberal vote in total was greater than the Sandinista vote but that vote was divided between the two parties with the much smaller PLC vote robbing the PLI of victory.
Because in so many localities a united opposition would have defeated the Sandinistas, discussions of opposition unity have begun again. The PLI had hoped to defeat the PLC (note last week's Bulletin) and claim leadership of the opposition but the PLC, even though it is also internally divided, showed itself to be alive and kicking. For example, in the Department of Chontales, the PLC vote increased from the presidential elections of 2011 while the PLI vote decreased. (Total Liberal vote in both elections surpassed the Sandinista vote in Chontales.) A group convened by Fabio Gadea Mantilla, who lost the presidential election last year to President Daniel Ortega, met with opposition figures for breakfast at El Eskimo restaurant in Managua last week. Members of the PLC were not present nor were supporters of recognized PLI leader Eduardo Montealegre.
Meanwhile, commentaries continued about the results of a CID-Gallup Central America-wide poll (reported last week) which showed that 55% of Nicaraguans felt that their country was on the right track, the next highest being El Salvador at 41%. Marcos Valle, director of the National Institute for Development Information (INIDE), said Nicaraguans have shown a clear change in perceptions about the future over the last two years in many surveys by different polling firms. “We are growing economically a little over 4%,” he said, adding “but in contrast with other countries where this growth remains in the hands of an elite, here there is economic growth with social distribution, with a reduction in social inequality.” (La Prensa, Nov. 14, 15, 16, 18, 19; Informe Pastran, Nov. 15, 16; Radio La Primerisima, Nov. 13)
3. Two die in plane crash over Lake Nicaragua
On Nov. 15, a plane with three people aboard crashed into Lake Cocibolca (Lake Nicaragua) killing the pilot, Nicaraguan Army Air Force Capt. Wilberto Martinez Tercero, Rt., and National Police Officer Luis Irias Mendez. The co-pilot, Audi Wilson Caceres, survived. The plane belonged to the Airport Administration Company of Nicaragua and was flying the route from Managua to San Juan de Nicaragua when it crashed in the lake not far from Acoyapa, Chontales. (La Prensa, Nov. 15; Radio La Primerisima, Nov. 16)
4. EU grants Nicaragua €8 million for volcano and colonial tourism
The European Union (EU) awarded €8 million to Nicaragua (about US$10.17 million) to promote the tourism routes of its volcanoes and colonial cities. The head of the European Commission delegation to Central America and Panama, Francisco Javier Sandomingo, said at a press conference that Nicaragua will be able to improve the potential of its rural tourism, and it is hoped it will enable it to consolidate its position as an international tourist destination. “From the European Union we are committed to the development of tourism in Nicaragua as an engine of economic growth and, in turn, as a way of promoting the country's sustainable development,” Sandomingo said. He added that the EU “has a long experience in tourism development, a key sector in the economy of some of our countries.”
Nicaraguan Institute of Tourism (Intur) head Mario Salinas, told the same news conference that the main beneficiaries of these funds will be small and medium entrepreneurs in Nicaragua's Pacific coast region along the route of the volcanoes. Salinas said investments will be made to strengthen the “public-private framework” of the industry, namely, the improvement of infrastructure to attract foreign tourists. The president of the Nicaraguan Chamber of Tourism (Cantur), Leonardo Torre, estimated that the disbursement will benefit about 80,000 small tourism businesses located in the departments of Chinandega, Leon, Managua, Masaya, Granada and Rivas.
Spain and Luxembourg are the two countries sponsoring the project. Spain will support the businesses related to the colonial route and Luxemburg those on the volcanoes route, according to authorities. Nicaragua was the only country benefited from the EU disbursement, “Perhaps because it is the one with the most volcanoes and colonial sites,” Salinas said. Tourism has become a major source of income for Nicaragua and in 2011 generated US$400 million. During that year, 1.1 million foreign tourists visited the country. The Nicaraguan government's goal with this project is to increase the visits of tourists and tourism income to US$600 million. (La Prensa, Nov. 13)
5. Unemployment declines steadily, especially among women
During 2012, Nicaragua's unemployment rate has been falling progressively from 6.6% in the first quarter, to 6.3% in the second quarter, and to 5.7% in the third quarter, while employment of women was what grew most, as indicated by a government report. Women's employment showed the highest growth at 14.1% in rural areas and 8.9% nationally. Only in Managua was employment growth higher for men (5.3%) than for women (4.8%).
According to the bulletin “United, Nicaragua Triumphs”, the rapid growth in employment of women, especially in the rural areas, reflects the effectiveness of social programs implemented by the government of President Daniel Ortega especially Zero Hunger, which has been a real factor in the progress of rural areas, with significant reduction of poverty and hunger there. The Ongoing Household Survey, quoted by the official gazette, stated that during the third quarter of this year the growth in the employed population was highest in rural areas (6.0%) compared to Managua's (5.1%), other urban areas (4.9%) and the national level (5.4%).
The economic sectors with the most employment during in the third quarter were: agriculture, livestock, hunting and forestry with 963,974 persons (32.3%); wholesale and retail commerce, 645,285 (12.3%); manufacturing, 321,314 (10.6%); hotels and restaurants, 172,184 (5.7%); other community, social and personal activities, 167,499 (5.5%); private households with domestic service, 130,321 (4.3%) and construction with 127,331persons (4.2%). Overall, in that period 155,336 new jobs were created. (Radio La Primerísima, Nov. 14)
6. Health centers to be improved
The Ministry of Health announced a multi-million dollar investment in the renovation of health facilities in the rural areas of the department of Jinotega. The project will extend from 2013 to 2015. Dr. Eduardo Canales, director of the Local System of Integral Health Care (SILAIS), said that the United States, Venezuela, Luxembourg, Finland, Spain, Brazil, Mexico, Cuba and others, are collaborating on providing much of the funding for the project. “The countries that are supporting the Government of Nicaragua do so because they know we are doing things right and there is a guarantee that money and resources are going to be well managed and will result in quality health care for rural dwellers of Jinotega,” Canales said. He added, “This is good news for residents, mainly those from the rural area of the department, as health centers, in addition to being expanded, will become twenty beds hospitals with boarding for patients and operating rooms.” Several maternity waiting homes will also be built in the rural area of Jinotega to prevent maternal deaths.
In Ayapal, 40 kilometers north of San José de Bocay, a US$1.6 million health center will be built while the health center at San José de Bocay will undergo a complete remodeling and be provided with twenty beds, operating rooms and, in addition to general practitioners, specialists will be hired to attend to the population, according to Canales. “With the hospital infrastructure renewed and well-equipped, it is hoped that with each passing month we will see a reduction in dengue, leptospirosis and other diseases, and that the country will not have to declare health emergencies,” he added. He highlighted the importance of having in Bocay specialists in pediatrics, gynecology, internal medicine, anesthesiology, surgery and surgical technicians so that rural residents requiring specialized medical care will not have to be taken to the city of Jinotega. (La Prensa, Nov. 14)
7. National Assembly opens exhibit on Cuban Five
Edwin Castro, head of the Sandinista bench in the National Assembly, said that Nicaraguans also raised their voices to demand the release of the five Cuban anti-terrorists unjustly convicted in the United States. The only crime committed by these men, he said, was to seek peace and work to prevent unnecessary deaths and terrorism. Castro spoke at the Nov. 13 opening of an exhibition on the Cuban Five at the National Assembly building in Managua. The exhibition, he said, will remain at the Assembly for two weeks, and will then move on to universities, state agencies, and the 134 municipalities won by the Sandinistas in the Nov. 4 local elections.
Castro said, “I'm sure other municipalities will open their doors to this exposition because, beyond the love held by Nicaraguans for the Cubans, the case against Gerardo Hernandez, Ramon Labañino, Antonio Guerrero, Fernando Gonzalez and René Gonzalez is reprehensible in every aspect.” He noted that the event coincided with the vote in the General Assembly of the United Nations for the twenty-first time on the resolution condemning the blockade of Cuba by the United States. He called the policy, which was rejected by 186 countries and backed only by the United States, Israel, and the Marshall Islands, as criminal.
National Assembly President René Nuñez said the exhibition aims to help expand knowledge of history among deputies and the Central American people about the campaign to return the Cuban Five to their families in Cuba. (Radio La Primerisima, Nov. 13)
Posted At 10:11 AM
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